Qayu Province
The Qayu Province is the northernmost administrative region of the Republic. It is named after the local Qayu population, a tribal group from the far north which have a distinct culture. History The Qayu originated from the far north of what is now their territory, around the sacred mountain of Shangrila. There resided Wu Dan, who taught his people to survive in that harsh world by mastering the art of killing. The spirit of the mountain patron dwelt upon the peak of the mountain in Shangrila, also called Valhalla, where Shangrila is the temple itself, and Valhalla is the name for the arena of the temple grounds. And the mountain was the highest peak in all the land frozen in high clouds, yet actually a long dormant volcano, with Shangrila being found in the crater, allowing for sacred hot spring well fed from the melting mountain snow to nourish the hidden temple garden from which the tree of the mountain grows the golden peaches of nirvana. Beneath the high temple were 8 temples dedicated to learning the ways of killing, as opposed to the normal settlements lower on the mountain which were pleased with learning the arts of war, women, and wine. These 8 temples were home to the Death Monks, fearsome warriors which dedicated their lives to the study of death. The monks trained to become experts in combat, routinely getting themselves seriously injured or killed in tournaments to progress their ranks and maybe one day become the master of their school by taking the pilgrimage to the peak and impressing the Grandmaster in a single-bout duel. To do so would be to blow the horn of Valhalla, a fabled horn carved from ancient wood that sits frozen within the temple and announce the newest Master of the 8 schools, and calls for the ritual suicide of the last master who shall throw himself off the mountain to make way for his successor. Although the true horn was actually a smoking pipe carried and used often by the grandmaster, and anyone who he shares a smoke with would be given authority over the mountain and take his place as he ascended to the heavens until the death of the latest mortal protector. A hardy people, they survived the Betrayal without much perturbation. But they found themselves without the wisdom of their spiritual leader. A scant century later, disaster struck as the climate shifted towards a miniature ice age, the cold creeping inexorably south. Life was difficult enough before; now it became close to impossible, certainly intolerable. The Qayu were gripped by a terrible famine that killed many, and the families turned on each other ruthlessly to secure the scant remaining resources for themselves, much to the chagrin of the Eight Masters, who were by then helpless in the face of the crisis. As hardy as they were, the people of the north were faced with a terrible choice, flee or die. Most chose the former, conquering a vast swathe of territory as they emigrated south. This invasion sent ripples throughout the world, as tribe after tribe decided to flee south to escape the unstoppable Qayu tide; such a tribal force swarmed into the still young Etruscan Republic, devastating the land before being crushed in battle. In any event, by the 5th century after the Betrayal the entirety of what is now the Qayu Province had been conquered by that people, the local peoples being exterminated, such as in the case of the Beyza, or elsewise assimilated. Meanwhile, civilization broke down completely around Shangrila, with one traveler commenting in 536 that "... no soul still resides around that titanic peak, all having abandoned it, or having else wise been slain .... Even such things as squirrels and sparrows are gone, such is the extent the land has been stripped bare." No further travelers visited the Sacred Mountain for over a century, as snow covered the sacred peak completely, not even thawing in the summer. In the late 600s, the snows melted at the base of the mountain, and since then the climate has slowly shifted towards its previous state. But the land is still too cold for agriculture or the raising of livestock; some hunter-gatherer tribes pass by it during the winter, while migrating away from the cold for the year, but for all intents and purposes the true Qayu people now reside in the citadel of Shangri Qin, a trading outpost in the great northern fur trade. There, the Khans ruled over their peoples (at least in theory, most living further south in more comfortable manors). All that remains of the old civilization are the ruins, still in good condition, of the Eight Temples. The conquest of the territory by the Republic was never easy. Indeed, the locals have proven to be stubbornly resistant to the administration of Analos, the rebelliousness only growing as one travels north. Not even a hundred years ago there was a great rebellion of the Qayu, who slaughtered southerners wherever they were found and raised a new Khan. This insurrection was put down brutally put down by an expedition led by the Godmother in person, the last time she would venture out in such a way since. The repression since has been brutal: the entire Qayu Inferior region was depopulated by what may be called a genocide, and colonized by Etruscans, and many native rights and traditions were stripped away. As the boot came down, the worship of the Godmother became dominant in the southern portion of the province, as the less zealous tribes there converted to avoid more serious punishments. Today, the territory has more or less calmed down. The local legions must still campaign every harvest season against some of the more unruly northern tribes, but by and large the land is prosperous and peaceful. Lifestyle This isolated people live in the vast northern mountains, culturally distinct from the other peoples of the world. In older days, each secluded valley was home to its own citadel, a temple-fortress from which the local daimyo ruled. Hidden by thick mists that hover over the valleys, these settlements have an almost mythical quality to them, as if one is stepping into another world. By and large, the Qaylu lived isolated from the rest of the world, herding sheep. There are many Qaylu merchants, however, as young ones are encouraged to leave their valley upon coming into age and to explore the world. As one travels north, the land becomes progressively harsher, and the locals more adherent to the Old Ways. Life in these frigid lands is difficult. Since food is scarce, the society is slightly twisted in a sense that, in this polygamous patriarchy, men and women were expected to settle down and have a family within their 25th year, and women were to bear many offspring to continue their tribe's survivability in their remote mountain nation. This of course leads to plenty of inbreeding and bad genetics, so most of its people have some degree of albinism and other rare genetic diseases, some good some bad. But essentially there are 4 major noble families ruling the north. The men of course are graded by the number of wives they have had, thus concubines are plenty, along with strong fermented alcohols which will keep your body warm in the coldest nights surrounded by your multiple women. And women are graded by the number of children they have produced, for a barren women was considered useless. And all citizens who did not marry and have children by the age of 25, or those who are too old (and not important enough) to be of child-bearing capacity are slaughtered for meat in the cold seasons. Yes, ritualistic cannibalism was practiced as it was necessary to sustain the population. It is a hard life, but easy death for everyone. Despite the official religion being the cult of the Godmother, in the far north the Eight Masters still dwell in secret, traveling from tribe to tribe, keeping the old ways alive as much as they can. They speak of the day when the people will return to the Mountain and regain their pride. But until that day, these monks are hanged by the legions wherever they are discovered. Regions Qayu Inferior The southernmost region, it is a strange mix of Etruscan cosmopolitanism and the exotic Qayu. The people are firmly Etruscan in culture, worshiping the Etruscan Godmother and speaking their language, but their complexion shows their northern roots, and they reside in ancient Qayu towns. Relatively to the rest of the territory, it is a very wealthy region, and the Citadel of Nipoa is the seat of the provincial governor. Beyzia The ancient homeland of the Beyza people. who were exterminated by the migrating Qayu over five hundred years ago. Yet to this day some of their culture endures, notably in the names of places. Gungiro This region is a strange mixture. The tribes worship the Godmother, but follow ancient customs, and occasionally harbor visiting Masters. It is in many ways the combination of the Yi-shenmee and the Qayu Inferior regions. Yi-shenmee The northernmost and most desolate part of the province, Yi-shenmee looks much the same as it did a thousand years ago. The land is cold, the people are hard, and the wildlife is savage. Citadels become less and less permanent, stone giving way to wood, giving the way to tents. The locals of the region are mainly herders, though the tribes beyond the old city of Shangri Qin eschew agriculture in favor of a hunter-gatherer society. Category:Locations